According to a Foreign Ministry’s announcement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos has traveled to Brussels to participate on December 15 and 16 in the in the EU Foreign Affairs and General Affairs Council (FAC/GAC).

On Sunday, December 14, Mr. Venizelos participated in an informal Meeting convened by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on the margins of the FAC to discuss developments in Syria, with UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura in attendance.

On Monday morning, at about 08:00, Mr. Venizelos will take part in a meeting of the Friends of Ukraine group. The agenda for the FAC, which will take place on Monday, includes developments in Iraq and the situation in Syria (conclusions will be adopted), in the shadow of ISIS actions. During the working luncheon, there will be a discussion of developments in Libya and the prospects for a ceasefire and dialogue within the framework of the efforts of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative, Bernadino Leon.

There will then be a discussion of the security situation in Ukraine – ahead of the EU High Representative’s visit to Kiev – and of developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, on which subject conclusions will be adopted.
On December 16, Mr. Venizelos will participate in the GAC, during which Conclusions will be adopted regarding Enlargement and the Stability and Association Process. The GAC will also look at preparations for the European Council of 18 and 19 December 2014, the main subject of which will be the European Investment Plan, in implementation of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s initiative for bolstering investments and growth.

Finally, the GAC agenda includes strengthening of the inter-institutional annual and multiannual legislative programming, the makeup of the Committee of the Regions, the interim revision of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the roadmap for the Latvian Presidency’s European Semester 2015 and the discussion regarding the implementation of the European Council’s strategic agenda.